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Public Employees' Benefit Board

July Newsletter
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July 2011 newsletter (legal-size pdf)

DirectLine to Healthcare adds treatment for joint pain
 
DirectLine to Healthcare is offering fast, direct access to physical therapy for members in the Statewide and Providence Choice plans who have shoulder, hip or knee pain. Like DirectLine to Healthcare for uncomplicated back pain, access to therapy for joint pain doesn’t require a doctor’s referral.
 
Click here for a list of participating clinics. When you call for care at a one of these clinics (remember to say you’re a PEBB member who wants DirectLine), a specially trained therapist reviews your symptoms and history to help you decide on therapy. You’ll have your first session within 48 business hours.
 
The most common cause of joint pain isn’t injury – it’s wear and tear over time. Physical therapists help reduce pain and restore function by working with patients to strengthen the muscles and connective tissues that keep their joints aligned.
 
In contrast, the typical medical route for joint pain can lead to unnecessary tests, referrals, medications and delays – with little or no coordination among providers. DirectLine shortens the timeline for you to get back in action. Plus, your therapist keeps your primary provider in the loop on your care and your progress.
 
The list of participating clinics may soon expand to Salem and other regions where existing clinics are able to put this innovative care model into practice.
 

DirectLine to Healthcare is a result of a Healthcare Marketplace Collaborative led by Intel Corporation. This group adapted care models developed by the Virginia Mason Center for Health Care Solutions. It’s saving money and time for Intel and its employees. More important, patients report greater satisfaction with their care and outcomes.

Federal funds reimburse some claims
 
PEBB received about $3.6 million in June as reimbursement for some high-cost claims for PEBB retirees. The Board will use the funds to help stabilize premiums.
 
The money comes from the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program. ERRP reimburses up to 85 percent of recent claims between $15,000 and $90,000 for retirees in group health plans that qualify.
 
ERRP will end when it has paid out $5 billion. As of May 27, it had paid out $2.7 billion.

Ineligible individuals lose coverage Aug. 1
 
Step 2 of the Dependent Eligiblity Verification program ended July 12. Individuals covered by members who were required to participate in Step 2, but didn’t, will lose coverage Aug. 1, 2011.
 
Members can’t re-enroll these individuals for coverage until Open Enrollment for 2012 and then only by documenting the relationship that allows for coverage.

Activity counts in Weight Watchers
apple and barbell
 
Members in Weight Watchers® count more than their food points – they also count activity points. The Points Plus® program encourages exercise by calculating points for everyday activities as well as structured exercise. This helps members budget their "energy deficit."
 
Click here to learn about joining Weight Watchers. It’s a no-cost benefit for principal subscribers in PEBB health plans.

See what your health assessment says
 
Your Benefit Board is considering "health assessments" as part of 2012 plan design. These confidential, online programs use your responses to health-related questions to assess your health status and suggest ways to improve it.
 
Here’s how to check out your plan’s health assessment tool.
 
Statewide and Choice members
  • Register on MyProvidence.org, and log in
  • Select WebMD HealthQuotient
  • Click Take HealthQuotient Now
Woman at laptop 
  Kaiser Permanente members
  • Register on kp.org, and log in
  • Select Health Manager, then Total Health Assessment
  • Click Start Succeed Now
 
“I pretty much knew
my health status, but
it was good to learn
I can cut my cancer
risk just by eating a
few more fruits and
veggies each day.”
For help on accessing the assessments, click here to view a video, or click here to download a PDF (both created for members joining Weight Watchers).
 
A typical assessment takes about 15 to 30 minutes. It helps to have your personal health data at hand – like your height, weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol and glucose levels.

If you smoke, what's your trigger?
cup of coffee
 
If you’re a smoker, you know how hard it is to resist smoking in certain situations. Maybe for you, this hot cup of coffee just wouldn’t be the same without a cigarette.
 
The Quit For Life® Program helps you identify the things that make you want to smoke, avoid them while you’re quitting and then re-learn how to enjoy them again without wanting a cigarette. Sound impossible? They’ve helped more than a million tobacco users do it; they can help you, too. Call or go online today, and learn how to take control over your triggers.
 
1.866.QUIT.4.LIFE
1-866-784-8454

Resources
 
PEBB      
(503) 373-1102, fax (503) 373-1654      
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